The present invention relates generally to stands to accommodate books or sheet music therefore and more particularly to table-mounted portable stands that accommodate books and sheet music.
Musicians require stands upon which to place sheet music for use in performance or practice. When they perform, they must often provide their own stands upon which they place the sheet music for the pieces to be performed. Therefore, they require portable stands that are easy to set up and carry. Portable music stands are often also necessary for a musician""s private use when practicing; a musician may not have the space required in his or her home or studio to accommodate a full-sized music stand. Furthermore, a portable music stand which is designed to rest upon an existing table top could be very convenient for a musician to use in either a home or studio or to take with him or her when performing in public.
A portable, table-top stand to hold open books can be used in many different ways in the home. Cookbooks must be held open to a specific page when referred to, and the cook cannot hold open the cookbook and prepare the recipe simultaneously. Similarly, when books are used to assist in home or auto repairs, the person doing the work cannot both hold open the reference book and do the work. Stands with legs are completely impractical for either of these uses.
There are a variety of tripodal portable stands on the market accommodating either sheet music or books. Examples of these are U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,779, issued to Heled on Oct. 26, 1982; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 314,873, issued to Wenger, et al. on Feb. 26, 1991; U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,111, issued to Andrews on May 19, 1992; and British Patent No. 2,260,265 A, issued Apr. 14, 1993, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,661, issued Oct. 15, 1996, both issued to Gershon.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,958, issued to Selvaggio on Nov. 21, 1995, is not for a portable stand to accommodate either books or sheet music, but rather one to accommodate small or large documents, drawings, blueprints, or rigid displays.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,754,799, issued to Weber on Jun. 16, 1998, is for a portable stand to hold open the pages of a book. It differs from the present invention in several significant ways. First, the Weber is a hinged design which will collapse in upon itself when not in use, whereas the present invention is a three-piece grooved design separating into parts when not used. The hinged design of the Weber makes it impractical to accommodate sheet music, whereas the present invention is designed to accommodate either sheet music or books. Lastly, the dimensions of the Weber simply are not wide enough to accommodate sheet music, while the present invention can accommodate either books or sheet music.
Therefore, a need has been established for a novel collapsible portable stand designed for table-top use which may accommodate either sheet music or books.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable collapsible stand to accommodate either sheet music or books.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a stand for sheet music or books to be used on a table top.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a portable collapsible stand that is easily assembled and collapsed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a stand that is simple in design and inexpensive to manufacture.
The present invention presents a novel portable collapsible stand to accommodate either sheet music or books. While other portable collapsible stands for sheet music or books are designed to stand on a floor, the present invention is designed to be used on a table top. The present invention presents a unique three-piece design which is easily assembled and disassembled.